The Malawi Electoral Fee (MEC) held a three-day capacity-building workshop in Lilongwe, supported by the African Union (AU), COMESA, and Worldwide IDEA, aimed toward strengthening electoral threat administration and addressing gender-based violence in elections. This initiative comes because the nation intensifies preparations for the 16 September 2025 Basic Election.
Talking on the official opening of the “Defending Elections Workshop: Danger Administration And Addressing Gender-Based mostly Discrimination And Violence In Electoral Processes” MEC Chairperson Justice Annabel Mtalimanja emphasised that the coaching is each “well timed and pressing,” given the rising complexity of electoral challenges in Malawi and the area.
“We’re decided to ship a course of that’s credible, clear, inclusive, peaceable, and trusted by the Malawian individuals,” she mentioned. “And we can’t do that with out addressing the threats posed by gender-based discrimination and election-related dangers.”
Justice Mtalimanja used the platform to spotlight the usually invisible but widespread difficulty of gender-based violence in electoral processes. She careworn that such violence–whether bodily, psychological, or economic–can severely deter girls, youth, and marginalized teams from collaborating in elections as voters, candidates, or electoral officers.
“We’ve got seen how girls are harassed into silence or concern throughout election cycles,” she mentioned. “This can’t be allowed to proceed.”
The Fee is now integrating gender-sensitive approaches into each facet of electoral planning, from workers recruitment to civic schooling and battle mitigation.
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The coaching is a component of a bigger AU-led Technical Help Mission to Malawi, which was launched following a Pre-Elections Evaluation Mission performed in March 2025.
The mission advisable strong capacity-building for MEC to strengthen its readiness for the September polls. Over 50 MEC Commissioners and senior workers, together with different stakeholders, participated within the coaching that run from 16 to 18 June 2025.
Based on the AU, the workshops will likely be adopted by a second spherical of assist beginning in July, which can cowl a variety of technical areas together with gender inclusion, logistics administration, electoral threat frameworks, and data-driven decision-making.
“This mission is a part of broader efforts to consolidate democracy, peace, and stability in Malawi,” the AU famous in its official assertion, including that the initiative is aligned with the African Constitution on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the 2002 Declaration of Rules Governing Democratic Elections in Africa.
The African Union’s partnership with COMESA and Worldwide IDEA ensures that the technical help is each holistic and regionally knowledgeable. The workshops embody interactive workouts in threat mapping, battle simulation, and coverage growth, with worldwide consultants facilitating data trade.
